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Rams kick off season in London and Waterloo

By Connor Dobos

Oct 04, 2017

TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams cross country team spent the last two Saturdays battling with some of Ontario’s best runners. The Rams are in their third season of existence and are hoping to establish themselves among some of the top universities in the province.

On Saturday, September 23rd the Rams travelled to London to take part in the Bill Salter Western Invitational at the Thames Valley Golf Club. A hot and humid day didn’t deter the Rams who left it all out on the course. Leading the way for the women’s team was Sylvie Antoun, who finished the 6km race in a time of 24:38, landing her in 51st place. Right behind her were Melinda Marghetis (26:06) and freshman Corinne Schonewille (26:18). Yulia Romanenko (27:21) and Anna Cianni (27:30) also ran strong races.

On the men’s side, assistant coach and Ryerson alum Joel Perera Satgunem led the way for the Rams in the men’s 8km race, finishing in a time of (27:14), good enough for 57th place, and he was followed closely by Michael Konstantopoulous (27:44), who finished first out of the runners on the team. Ben Ing (29:39) and Connor Dobos (29:52) were the number two and three runners for the Rams, with Kevin Malas (30:10) and Aaron McQuaid (30:18) rounding out the scoring. Jeff Lee (35:07) and Steve Rocha (35:49) also had strong races for the Rams. McMaster finished first in the team standings for the men with Queen’s taking first for the women.

The following Saturday the Rams took the short trip down the 401 to Waterloo early Saturday morning to compete in the Don Mills Open at the University of Waterloo. A cold morning gave way to a sunny and comfortable temperature at race time, and the rolling course presented an exciting challenge for the athletes.

Sylvie Antoun led the way for the women’s team once again with a time of 24:56 in the 6km race, good enough for 28th place. Following Antoun were Melinda Marghetis (25:39), Yulia Romanenko (26:47), Anna Cianni (27:22) and Mirijam Bruening (27:46). The Rams were once again without Rebecca Verlaan, who has been their best runner for the last two years.

On the men’s side, assistant coach Joel Perera Satgunem led the way for the Rams with a 17th place finish and a time of 26:48 in the men’s 8km, with Michael Konstantopoulous close behind (27:11). The rest of the Rams weren’t too far behind, with Valerian Gomes crossing the line in a time of 28:12. Ben Ing (28:27) was close behind along with Connor Dobos (28:55), Ben Snider-McGrath (28:57), Aaron McQuaid (29.22) and Jeff Lee (32:28). McMaster finished first overall as a team in both the men’s and women’s races.

The Rams will head to Hamilton on Friday, October 13th for an evening meet hosted by McMaster. The Rams are looking to build up their strength leading into the OUA Championships, which will be held on October 28th in Windsor.